Edgar Davids says comparisions with Lionel Messi will only hurt Juventus’ Paulo Dybala – “leave him to grow in peace”.
The Bianconeri number 10 has started the season in stunning from, with seven goals in four games, and has drawn comparisons to his compatriot, who he’ll face against Barcelona tonight.
“If you want to hurt Dybala, continue with these comparisons,” Davids told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Edgar Davids says comparisions with Lionel Messi will only hurt Juventus’ Paulo Dybala – “leave him to grow in peace”.
The Bianconeri number 10 has started the season in stunning from, with seven goals in four games, and has drawn comparisons to his compatriot, who he’ll face against Barcelona tonight.
“If you want to hurt Dybala, continue with these comparisons,” Davids told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We have to leave him to grow in peace. Juve have an incredible talent on their hands, but he doesn’t need to have too much pressure loaded on him.
“Messi’s crown is heavy, right now he’s on another level. He gets dozens of goals per year, especially in the decisive games.
“Dybala will grow more and more, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Davids played for both Juve and Barça during his playing career, and he gave his opinion on tonight’s game.
“It’s clear I spent several years at Juve, but Barça are still inside me too. That period, between Turin and Catalonia, was the best of my career.
“Everything I learned in Bianconeri, I continued to put into practice for Barça. Both teams gave me confidence, you can’t be great without that word.
“This Barcelona? They’re always strong, but a little less so than they used to be: they’re no longer an invincible machine.
“It’s not because of Neymar’s departure, but the engine in the middle is dull. In their best years they had Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta at their best.
“So Juventus are favourites? I don’t know, they’ve got a few absences, but they certainly don’t start beaten. Even in 2015, with them [Barcelona] at their best they proved they weren’t so inferior. In fact I was convinced they’d do it in Berlin.”
Juve haven’t won the Champions League since beating Davids’ Ajax in 1996, is there a curse on the Old Lady?
“More than a curse, it’s bad luck. Take the last two finals, they played the best team in the world at their best. That’s like racing against [Ayrton] Senna once and [Michael] Schumacher the other time.
“Let’s not forget that Juve had a great first half in Cardiff before dropping off.”